William S. Paxton: Sometimes fans, pro teams need divorce court

Published 1:01 am, Sunday, October 14, 2012

Every day in this country, relationships fall apart and marriages head to divorce court. Can the same thing take place when a fan's relationship with a sports team reaches a breaking point?

I've been pondering the question the past few weeks while the Buffalo Bills have gone from preseason playoff hopefuls to NFL laughingstocks. It all began with back-to-back losses to the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

Sure, all teams lose games, but the Bills have not just lost, they've been embarrassed along the way!

You thought the Americans' Ryder Cup collapse was bad? Try watching the Bills go from a 21-7 lead to a 52-28 loss in about two quarters. Then Buffalo follows it up with a 45-3 drubbing from the 49ers at Candlestick Park.

And this comes after they shelled out crazy cash in the offseason to bring in alleged prize defensive end Mario Williams to shore up one of the league's worst defenses, along with a few other moves.

Perhaps only New York Jets' fans can feel so miserable about their team's fortunes to date. Outside of spanking Buffalo in the opener 48-28, Gang Green's play has helped make its fans ill as well.

So how much is enough for a fan to take?

This is not just a poor start to another season, but almost the cherry on top of the loser sundae that New York's only true team has built over the past few decades.

Working with several Jets' fans, I've become well-versed in their decades of horror shows, but with the Bills, I've unfortunately had to live through their debacles year after year.

The Bills have not been to the postseason since 1999, when a one-shoed Rob Johnson drove the team down for the would-be winning field goal against the Titans, only to have the victory snatched away with Frank Wycheck's forward lateral leading to a touchdown and 22-16 win on the ensuing kickoff.

The Bills don't seem on their way to breaking that drought at the moment either. At this rate, the Patriots figure to have the AFC East clinched by Thanksgiving with the Jets, Bills and rebuilding Miami Dolphins their only obstacles.

Fans of Bills' rivals still like to bring up the franchise's four straight Super Bowl losses to begin the 1990s as if this is somehow going to rattle us. I'll sign up for another February loss right now -- because it will at least mean the Bills made the playoffs once again.

Instead, the losing continues.

But at what point does enough become enough?

When couples grow tired of each other and can no longer work things out, they split up.

Is it possible to do the same with a team? And if so, then what do you do?

I guess you can always go Fireman Ed and switch from the Jets to the rival Dolphins, then turn into a super fan with your new team. But really, who wants to be that guy or girl?

Not me.

The prospect of shopping for a new team seems great in January and February when your team has nothing to play for, but in the end, the Bills sucker you in once again come training camp.

As far as I know, there is no counseling when it comes to resolving a conflict with your sports team. In fact, as fans, you are even more helpless to resolve things since you really have no say in how things are done or run.